Tag Archives: Electronics

Rumors have surfaced that Apple plans to abandon the ubiquitous 3.5mm headphone jack. This story developed when Apple blog, 9to5mac, discovered that Apple submitted a design specification to its licensing program which would connect headphones using the Lightning port.

For Apple, this is a smart move. By removing the classic headphone port, Apple makes all previously designed headphones obsolete. This wipes out products of competitors, and maybe most importantly, it sheds more light on the significance of the $3 billion Beats Electronics acquisition. Rather than collaborating with Beats Electronics to create headphones with Lightning port accessibility, Apple now has the ability to earn exponentially more money from license fees and adaptor sales. The fact that such headphones would probably retain the iconic Beats logo only adds to Apple’s gain, as both brands are synonymous with current popular culture.

Moreover, this innovation, or business ploy, should instigate new technology developments from other competitors, only making Apple diverse and exclusive. Without a headphone jack, Apple perpetuates its own longevity by locking consumers in to purchasing more Apple products.

Sometimes the wellbeing of the customer is not considered at all. With this move, we stand to lose big time. Now that our beloved headphones are obsolete, we must either purchase bulky adaptors or new headphones all together. Those Beats Studio headphones you just bought? Yea, those are no longer functional, which means shelling out another $200+ to listen to music.

Its funny how the simplest changes result in huge revenues for a company. I can’t say I’m upset with the Beats acquisition or this news because its kind of ingenious. For a full read on this recent development, check out the article on Forbes.